Paul's Case

2 Pages 457 Words

The short story "Paul’s Case" by Willa Cather illustrates the problems of a young man, named Paul, growing up and taking on the responsibility of finding out who he is, and what he wants from life. The story contains many symbols, which add meaning to the story. Some of the major symbols present in "Paul’s Case" are: the flowers, Cordelia street, the Carnegie Hall, and Paul’s house.
The flowers play an integral role in the story. They symbolize Paul throughout the story. For instance, at the beginning of the story, Paul is wearing a bright red carnation in his lapel. This declares Paul’s independence from the other students, and shows that Paul is different than the other students at his school. At the end of the story, when Paul buries the flowers in the snow, he signifies that he was going to bury another wilted flower, himself.
Another major symbol in the story is "Cordelia Street", the street that Paul lives on. Paul absolutely hated the street he lived on and even more he hated his house. Every time he came home "he experienced the physical depression, the loathing of respectable beds, of common food, of a house penetrated by kitchen odors." Paul’s house, and "Cordelia Street" symbolize Paul’s life, and his disliking of his house and his street, represent his hatred toward it. Paul isn’t happy with his life because he isn’t able to live it the way he wants. He constantly dreams about "movin’ on up" and living life in a high society.
The Carnegie Hall, which was the place Paul worked, is another one of the major symbols in the story. It symbolizes the life that Paul dreams of having. While he worked at the Carnegie Hall, Paul watched the actors and actresses move about in their fancy attire and live in the most luxurious hotels suites. Paul had always wanted to be like the actors, and that’s the reason he enjoyed working as an usher at the Carnegie Hall. When Paul’s father stopped him fr...